Puffed corn product and method of making the same



Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE PUFFED CORN PRODUCTAND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME ware N Drawing. Application December 4,1951, Serial No. 259,889

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a puffed corn product and particularly onesuitable for subsequent French frying.

The corn is puffed to approximately 3% times its original size withoutcaramelization. Upon French frying and salting, it becomes a verytasteful product having a crisp, chewy texture. The preferred materialis cracked waxy maize corn (or field corn). The granules areapproximately half of the original kernel size and normally it ispreferred that the corn should pass through a quarter inch mesh sieveand be retained on a No. 4 standard sieve, which is slightly less than a5 inch opening. The moisture content of the raw material isapproximately The cracked material without any tempering (that iswithout addition of liquid water) is placed in a sealed vessel andevacuated for two minutes, the final pressure being approximately inchmercury absolute. Steam is then admitted to the vessel to bring thepressure rapidly to 100 pounds per square inch gauge, the pressure beingheld at this point for two minutes. During the steaming operation, apurge line is maintained in open condition so that any condensed waterand non-condensable gas in the steam or generated by the corn might bewithdrawn. Details of an apparatus adapted for such use is shown inDoyle application No. 125,668 filed November 5, 1949, now Patent No.2,627,221, and Baer application No. 189,679, filed October 11, 1950, nowabandoned.

After steaming at 100 pounds for two minutes, the pressure is reduced to50 pounds per square inch gauge in seven seconds by opening a valve lineand the material is then pufied into a vacuum chamber of very muchlarger size than the cooking chamber in which the material has beensteamed. The communication between the pufiing chamber and the cookingchamber is substantially the entire diameter of the cooking chamber sothat reduction in pressure is immediate. The puffing chamber ispreferably at about 5 of an inch absolute and pressure therein is notpermitted to rise to a point where charring or caramelization of thecorn will occur. This caramelization is indicated by the characteristicburnt taste of pufied products of the prior art atmospheric pufiingoperations.

It is preferred to maintain the walls of the expansion or pullingchamber at a temperature of 150 to 200 F. in order to reduce anystickiness of the corn. However, it is not necessary to dry the pufledmaterial. Any excess moisture is removed in the French frying whichoccurs later.

would produce a satisfactory flavor and texture on French frying wassolved by applicant.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In the preparation of a puffed corn product suitable for Frenchfrying the method,- which comprises: substantially removing the air fromcracked corn; substituting an atmosphere of steam under pressure;maintaining the steam pressure until the cracked corn is in conditionfor vacuum puffing; then instantaneously reducing the pressure from atleast 50 pounds per square inch gauge to a substantial vacuum conditionto cause an explosion resulting in puffing of the cracked corn; andmaintaining a reduced pressure sufficient to cold set the puffed crackedcorn during the explosion and until cold setting of the corn occurs, thepressure at the inception of the explosion and the extent of pressurereduction bein correlated to produce a puffed cracked corn product freefrom a burnt or caramelized taste and about 3% times the size of theoriginal corn.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, in which the steaming operationis carried on at a pressure of pounds per square inch gauge forapproximately 2 minutes and then the pressure is rapidly reduced toapproximately 50 pounds per square inch gauge.

3. A cold set vacuum puffed corn product having a volume of about 3%times the original cracked corn produced by the method of claim 1.

CHARLES R. CARMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,933,158 Bohn et al. Oct. 31, 1933 2,287,737 Huzenlaub June23, 1942 2,358,251 Huzenlaub Sept. 12, 1944 2,438,939 Ozai-Durrani Apr.6, 1948

1. IN THE PREPARATION OF A PUFFED CORN PRODUCT SUITABLE FOR FRENCHFRYING THE METHOD, WHICH COMPRISES: SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVING THE AIR FROMCRACKED CORN; SUBSTITUTING AN ATMOSPHERE OF STEAM UNDER PRESSURE;MAINTAINING THE STEAM PRESSURE UNTIL THE CRACKED CORN IS IN CONDITIONFOR VACUUM PUFFING; THEN INSTANTANEOUSLY REDUCING THE PRESSURE FROM ATLEAST 50 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE TO A SUBSTANTIAL VACUUM CONDITIONTO CAUSE AN EXPLOSION RESULTING IN PUFFING OF THE CRACKED CORN; ANDMAINTAINING A REDUCED PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO COLD SET THE PUFFED CRACKEDCORN DURING THE EXPLOSION AND UNTIL COLD SETTING OF THE CORN OCCURS, THEPRESSURE AT THE INCEPTION OF THE EXPLOSION AND THE EXTENT OF PRESSUREREDUCTION BEING CORRELATED TO PRODUCE A PUFFED CRACKED CORN PRODUCT FREEFROM A BURNT OR CARAMELIZED TASTE AND ABOUT 31/2 TIMES THE SIZE OF THEORIGINAL CORN.